Within each of us there is a silence – a silence as vast as a universe. We are afraid of it… and we long for it.
In our present culture, silence is something like an endangered species… and endangered fundamental. The experience of silence is now so rare that we must cultivate it and treasure it. This is especially true for shared silence.
Sharing silence is, in fact, a political act. When we stand aside from the usual and perceive the fundamental, change begins to happen. Our lives align with deeper values and the lives of others are touched and influenced.
Silence brings us back to basics, to our senses , to our selves. It locates us. Without that return, we can go so far away from our true natures that we end up, quite literally beside ourselves. We live blindly and act thoughtlessly.
Politicians and visionaries will not return us to the sacredness of life. That will be done by ordinary men and women who together or alone can say, “Remember to breathe, remember to feel, remember to care, let us do this for our children and ourselves and our children’s children. Let us practice for life’s sake.”
REFLECTION:
- Do you take time to be silent… not distracted by news, or social media, or podcasts, or others? Can you be alone? Can you sit in silence?
- Silence offers us an opportunity to reconnect with ourselves….to return to our true selves.
- What if sharing silence is a political act? Can you take a few minutes today to be in silence?
- Remember to breathe, remember to feel, remember to care!